The Hamstead Soundworks Comet Interstellar Driver is an analog overdrive pedal from UK builder Hamstead Soundworks, launched on 10 June 202112. Its defining feature is a toggle switch that routes its two-knob EQ section either before or after the drive circuit, and that same switch also changes the gain structure and clipping character of the circuit1. The result is one compact pedal that covers transparent, amp-flattering drive at one end and gain heavy enough to be mistaken for a polite fuzz at the other23.
The circuit was designed by Peter Hamstead4, and the pedal is built in the UK2. Delicious Audio filed it under the "versatile and full of character" overdrive niche, describing it as a drive that runs from boutique-sounding overdrive with a vocal midrange right through to a rich and creamy fuzz1.
A transparent overdrive with a switchable EQ position
The Comet's core idea is that the order of EQ and drive matters, and rather than locking one in, the pedal lets you choose. Set the EQ/Drive switch one way and the EQ comes after the drive; set it the other and the EQ comes first, but as Guitar World's Trevor Curwen noted, it is not quite that simple, because the switch also changes the type of clipping and the gain structure of the circuitry3.
The two positions sound distinctly different:
| Switch position | What it does | How reviewers described it |
|---|---|---|
| Drive before EQ | Dynamic, transparent clipping circuit with studio-style EQ sculpting after it1 | "A more open and transparent sound"3 |
| EQ before Drive | EQ boosts the input gain into a more raw, organic clipping stage4 | "Something gainier and denser in the midrange"3 |
In the EQ-before-drive position, the EQ bands act as gain pushers as well as tone controls. Guitar.com reported that with higher settings on the bass and treble knobs you can push the drive section into distortion and even fuzz5, and MusicRadar found that with the Gain maxed out in this mode "there is enough hair on it to be confused with a polite fuzz, a little woolly without altogether losing its composure"2.
With the EQ set flat in the drive-before-EQ mode, MusicRadar's review team found the Comet "transparent as advertised, with that Level control capable of rousing your amp"2. Guitar World's reviewer characterized the EQ-before-drive mode as providing "characterful, robust drive tones that can be further away from your core amp sound"3.
The controls: Level, Bass, Treble and the EQ/Drive switch
The front panel keeps things simple: three knobs and one toggle.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Level | Output level with up to 30dB of boost, enough to push an amplifier harder25 |
| Bass | EQ band with +/- 15dB of cut and boost5; at minimum it takes considerable weight off the drive2 |
| Treble | EQ band with +/- 15dB of cut and boost5; used heavily it can brighten up a dull amp2 |
| EQ/Drive toggle | Routes the two-knob EQ before or after the drive while altering the circuit's gain structure1 |
The 30dB of Level boost is a large amount for an overdrive pedal, and both MusicRadar and Guitar.com singled it out as a way to hit the front of an amp harder25. MusicRadar called the Level control "deserving of respect"2.
Inside the box: high-gain mode and the Hi-Cut trimmer
Two further adjustments live inside the enclosure, so reaching them means unscrewing the back plate352.
- An internal toggle switch engages a high-gain mode5. Guitar World found it "shifts everything up a gear and yields an increased level of saturation"3, and MusicRadar noted the pedal "can get pretty raucous" even before it is engaged2.
- An internal trimmer sets a high-cut, letting you tame the top end to taste5. Guitar World described it as "an internal Hi-Cut pot you can use to tweak things a little"3.
The Comet ships set at lo-gain from the factory2, so a pedal that feels like it could use more saturation out of the box may simply have the internal high-gain switch turned off.
Where it came from
Hamstead Soundworks is based in Cambridgeshire, UK1, and the Comet arrived on 10 June 2021, listed at £199 / €235 / $2595. Gearnews reported at launch that the all-analog pedal could be used as a preamp, an overdrive and an all-out fuzz in one box1.
The Comet sits in a family of Hamstead drive pedals. The company's earlier Odyssey drive pedal, launched in March 2018, also used analog drive circuitry with multiple clipping circuits and the GigRig OptoKick optical footswitch, and the Subspace Intergalactic Driver, launched at NAMM 2020, was a mid/low-end-focused drive based on the Odyssey circuit. The Comet carries the EQ-routing idea into a smaller, simpler format.
What reviewers made of it
MusicRadar's overall verdict was positive:
"The Comet Interstellar Driver is an amp-flattering overdrive that's easy to use, top-quality and offers a remarkable degree of versatility from a compact and simple format."2
Guitar World's Trevor Curwen found the two EQ positions genuinely useful rather than a gimmick, with drive-before-EQ leaning open and transparent and EQ-before-drive leaning gainier and denser in the midrange3. Delicious Audio called it "a meticulously voiced overdrive pedal that opens up a whole world of tones from a simple control set"1.
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Questions
Is the Hamstead Comet true bypass?
No. The Comet uses a buffered bypass with an OptoKick optical footswitch, as listed in MusicRadar's review. A buffered bypass means the pedal keeps a buffer in the signal path when switched off, which can help preserve high end over long cable runs rather than passing the signal straight through.
How do you turn on the Comet's high-gain mode?
The high-gain mode is engaged by an internal toggle switch, so you have to open the enclosure to reach it. Guitar World's reviewer found it shifts everything up a gear and yields an increased level of saturation. The pedal ships set at lo-gain from the factory.
Who designed the Hamstead Comet?
The circuit was designed by Peter Hamstead, the designer behind Hamstead Soundworks, a builder based in Cambridgeshire in the UK. He also designed the three clipping circuits in the company's earlier Odyssey drive pedal.
Sources (5)
- Hamstead Soundworks Comet Interstellar Driver, Delicious Audio, 2022-04-20
- Hamstead Soundworks Comet Interstellar Driver review, MusicRadar, 2022-03-04
- Hamstead Soundworks Comet Interstellar Driver review, Guitar World, 2021-12-07
- The Hamstead Comet Interstellar Driver is both a preamp and an all-out fuzz in one pedal, gearnews.com, 2021-06-10
- Hamstead Soundworks launches the Comet Interstellar Driver, a stompbox that ranges from creamy drive to thick fuzz, Guitar.com, 2021-06-10
